The San Antonio Spurs secured a thrilling victory Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, defeating the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in double overtime.
San Antonio was without starting point guard De’Aaron Fox, who was sidelined with an ankle injury, but it ultimately didn’t matter as rookie Dylan Harper stepped up in a huge way, contributing 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and seven steals.
The ultimate story of the night, however, was Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Nine of those points came in the second overtime period.
He also made NBA history, becoming the youngest player ever to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game.
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Reacting to the game shortly after it went final was NBA legend Magic Johnson, who often shares his thoughts on X.
“What a game! What a game! What a performance! What a performance! The San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama put on an incredible show tonight finishing with 41 points and 24 rebounds,” Johnson posted. “Wembanyama’s performance was so special because he did it from everywhere on the basketball court, including a Steph Curry-like 3-pointer down the stretch. Ladies and gentlemen, this is only Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals!”
He followed that post up with another suggesting the rest of the Western Conference outside of the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder may not be able to compete for years.
“I hate to break the news to the rest of the Western Conference, but they may not have a chance to win the Western Conference Finals for the next 5–7 years,” he added. “The Thunder and Spurs are just that good. They are talented, deep, athletic, and both teams are well coached.”
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